Mental Health Programs: Calgary Region

and wellness strategies. Peer mentoring is a big part of the Peer Options Program.

Street Outreach & Stabilization

Up to 70 percent of homeless individuals have a mental health concern. The Street Outreach and Stabilization Program (SOS) helps address the needs of these hard-to-reach individuals. SOS assists by reaching out to those on the streets and helping them turn their lives around. Program recipients often transfer to other CMHA services, and in time, move towards independence.

Suicide Services

In Alberta, more than 400 people die by suicide each year, outranking such causes of death as motor vehicle collisions, AIDS, and homicide.

The Suicide Bereavement Support Program offers:

• Bereavement Counseling
• Individual Peer Support
• Group Support
• Informal Drop-in Group
• Debriefings and Educational Presentations
• Consultation and Resources
• Volunteer Opportunities

The Suicide Education Program helps prevent suicide through comprehensive awareness building in the community. This is achieved through interactive presentations made available in schools and for adult groups.

Supported Housing

The Supported Housing Program provides accommodation and a safe living environment for those who have difficulty living independently because of a mental illness. Skill development and other services are tailored to the client’s level of need and can include linkage with medical resources, emotional support, teaching skills around personal care, cooking, shopping, budgeting, and more.

Workplace Mental Health

The Copernicus Project is designed to break through the barriers that keep us from dealing effectively with mental health concerns in the workplace. The program brings groups of people together for informed dialogue about the underlying problems contributing to the dramatic rise in disabilities due to anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses, which often are mistaken for performance issues in a workplace.